Corset



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

CHARLES W. HIGBY, CF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

CO RS ET.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters QPatent No. 275,652, dated April 10, 1883.

Application filed November 8, 1882. (No model.)

.'[o all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HIGBY, of the city and county ot' Jackson, State ot' Michigan, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Corsetsgand I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot` the saine, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming part of this specification.

Thisinventionis in thenatureof animprovement in corsets; and theinvention consists in a corset with theV seams substantially as hereinafter specitied and claimed, and this improvement is distinguishable from that covered by my application filed November 10, 1882, in thatits sections run diagonally down ward from back to front, whereas the sections in said lastnamed invention run diagonally downward from front to back of its several sections, extendin g diagonally from the upper edge of the corset to its lower edge, and also to the front of the same.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my corset. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the sections thereof.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate like parts inv both igures.

Heretofore corsets have been constructed with the seams of the several sections of which the corset is composed arranged to extend vertically, or substantially vertically,from the upper to the lower edge of the corset. This construction, however, has been found objectionable, for the reason that the strain upon the vertical seamsis received substantially at right angles .to the seams, thereby tending to pull the seams of the sections apart, causing them to grin,77 and oftentimes to break the thread with which they are sewed. To obviate this difficulty, and also to render the corset better adapted to conform to the shape of the wearer, and to make it more comfortable when on the person, I construct my corset with its several sections, A, cut to proper length, width, and shape, so that when the edges B ofthe sections are stitched together the several sections will form a complete side or half ot' a corset, with all of its seams C extending diagonally from 'the upper edge of the corset, a., to the bottom b, and also to thefront cojfthe same, asis shown in Fig.1. These sections A are preferably out on the bias from the material, as indicated by the close parallel lines on some ofthe sections. Now, when a corset is in this way made with the seams ot' its several sections extending diagonally, as described, it will be seen that the strain on the seams of the sections A ot' the corset cannot in any instance, when worn, act at right angles to the seams tending to fracture the threads or pull the seams apart, as in a corset with vertical seams; but, to the contrary, the strain on the seams is received at an angle more or less obtuse with the line of the seams, by reason of their angular direction, in this way distributing the strain over a longer section ot seam, and thereby adding to their strength, for, as it is well known, stitches when subjected to strain in a diagonal direction will resist nearly twice the strain under such circumstances than they will when the strain is received at a right an gie or an acute angle; hence the tendency to pull the seams apart, as before described,is prevented, and the corsetrendered stronger and more durable.

By causing the seams of the corset to extend diagonally, as is shown in Fig. 1, it will be observed that the angular direction ot' each seam runs nearly in the same direction, or parallel with the ribs of the human frame; hence corsets having diagonal seams to its sections afford much less opposition to the movement of the ribs and to the respiration of the wearer thando corsets which have their seams at or nearly at right angles to the direction of the ribs, Vwhich latter tends to bind or contine the ribs somewhat in the manner of a straight jacket. My corset with diagonal seams may have its bones E placed in pockets extending vertically from the upper to the lower edge of the corset; or the bones may be arranged in pockets D, extending generally in the same diagonal direction as do the seams of the.sec tions in Fig. 1,-adding thereby to the comfort of the wearer and better adapting -the corsets to tit the person. It may have hip-openings formed in it, the opening'having a strap or buckle or other similar device to render the opening adjustable around and over the crown of the hip.

Having now described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. A corset composed of the sections A, as shown, united at their edges B by seams C,

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sonic of which extend diagonally from the top edge, a, to the front cof the corset, others from the top edge diagonally to the bottom, and the remainder from the back diagonally to the bottom, and all constructed and arranged as specified.

2. The bias sections A, as shown, united at front c of the corset, others from the top edge 1o diagonally to the bottom, and the remainder from the back to the bottom, in combination with the bones E in pockets D in said sections, all con structed and arranged as specified.

CHARLES W. HIGBY. Witnesses:

W. J. REYNOLDS, L. C. CHANDLER. 

